Chat GPT vs Speechwriters
A few weeks ago, my husband was asked to give a speech to a group of young people who had just finished his company’s prestigious apprenticeship programme. Short on time, he turned to trusty Chat GPT, and on first glance, it wrote him something pretty serviceable with some neat lines.
Then we took a closer look.
“You’ve learnt not just how to do the job, but how to own it”
“You are the generation who won’t just rise to meet challenges, but lead them”
and my favourite,
“You bring new perspectives, new ways of thinking, and the kind of drive that pushes innovation forward, not just under the bonnet but in every interaction with the customer”
It was line after line of tricolons, floating opposites, and overworn metaphors. After the second read, I was exhausted. The rhythm never let up; neither the speech nor the audience could breathe.
To make it worse, the content was meaningless. There was no mention of who these apprentices really were, the struggles they’d faced, or the kind of work they’d been doing. There was no connection to the audience, no call to action, no point.
If my husband had taken to the stage and delivered that speech, it would have been instantly forgotten.
As someone who often writes speeches for CEOs, politicians, and humanitarians, I found this strangely comforting. AI isn’t coming after my job just yet.
However, I also found it sad. The days of soaring and soul-changing oratory are disappearing, if indeed they haven’t already gone. The art of rhetoric is no longer taught in schools, and people naturally turn to AI. But what does this do to our level of understanding, our connection, and our ability to tell real and impactful stories?
I’m not an AI refusenik; there is a place for programmes like Chat GPT. However, for now, if you want to harness the power of words and storytelling to change hearts and minds, you do need to call on a human being!
For people who want to take a deeper dive into speechwriting, I thoroughly recommend Simon Lancaster’s excellent book “Speechwriting: The Expert Guide” as well as an old Rory Stewart podcast on “The Long History of Argument”. I am also about to begin “She Speaks” by Yvette Cooper, which explores the power of female oratory and examines speeches from great women from Boudica to Malala.